The police prior to forcibly dragging out patriotic citizens guarding the ballot boxes at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, at 9 AM on the 5th. [YouTube]

We deeply respect the hard work and dedication of the vast majority of police officers who silently sweat across numerous public safety scenes nationwide, protecting the lives and safety of our citizens. It is undeniable that the daily life and rule of law in South Korea can be maintained thanks to their noble sacrifices.

However, state-granted public authority is only recognized as legitimate when it upholds constitutional values and protects citizens. Recent incidents at protest suppression sites are thoroughly trampling on the common sense of such a state governed by the rule of law and the honor of the majority of uniformed public officials.

Allegations of unidentified private security personnel, including Chinese nationals, must be investigated

The scene in front of the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Seoul, on the morning of June 5, 2026, starkly revealed the violent nature of South Korean public authority.

Approximately 1,000 riot police were deployed against citizens protesting allegations of election fraud by the National Election Commission and guarding the polling station. During the process of forcibly dragging out and binding the limbs of these citizens who were asserting their rightful sovereignty, and carrying away an elderly person, injuries occurred.

Furthermore, serious allegations have been raised that unidentified private security personnel in police uniforms, including Chinese nationals, were deployed to the scene and indiscriminately assaulted our citizens. This constitutes a direct challenge to the national sovereignty of South Korea.

The excessive force used by public authority raises suspicion that it was an intentional provocation aimed at inciting the public and labeling them as rioters. This 'June 3rd incident' has become a significant matter of sovereignty infringement, drawing the keen attention of even the U.S. State Department.

The real problem is the extreme lack of transparency in the execution of public authority. Some police officers, whose faces are completely concealed by sunglasses and black masks, appear less like public officials performing their duties and more like a massive, anonymous group creating a sense of intimidation while hiding their identities.

The attire that obscures their faces, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe, is being misused as a tool to grant impunity for clear illegal acts such as excessive force and beatings at the scene.

We can no longer tolerate this profound contradiction where citizens are compelled to reveal their identities in the name of public authority, while the enforcers themselves hide behind a veil, completely blocking any possibility of accountability.

The violent police officers hiding behind the 'anonymous masks' that hijack the sacred dedication of the majority of police are the most terrifying culprits destroying liberal democracy. This is because public authority that conceals its identity inevitably degenerates into violence. Institutional surgery is urgently needed to rectify the collapsing order of the rule of law and restore the legitimacy of state public authority.

Legislation is needed to prohibit covering more than 50% of the face

First, the government must immediately prohibit police officers from wearing masks at assembly and protest sites, except in extremely exceptional circumstances such as counter-terrorism operations. As public officials with a duty to inform the public, it is only right that uniform regulations be immediately legislated to prohibit covering more than 50% of the face, absent special circumstances.

Second, a 'uniform unique identification number display system' at the level of developed countries must be fully adopted. To put an end to the bad habit of evading responsibility by hiding behind anonymity, the mandatory display of unique numbers clearly visible from a distance on the exterior of uniforms and riot gear must be implemented, and rapid measures to prevent uniform misuse should be devised to ensure that private security firms cannot wear police uniforms.

Lastly, those responsible for excessive force and violent acts that exploit anonymity must be identified, severely punished, and apologize to the public. Public authority lacking transparency is merely physical violence that has lost its legitimacy. The police leadership must take responsibility for condoning unlawful practices at the scene and present fundamental reform measures for transparent law enforcement.

If these just demands are ignored and they continue to attempt to reign over the people from the darkness of anonymity, it is an act of abandoning the rights and duties conferred by the Constitution.

We never belittle the noble sweat of the majority of uniformed public officials who dedicate themselves day and night on the front lines of people's livelihood, and we fully respect their honor. However, the barbarous conduct of sacred public authority, granted by the state to protect the lives and property of citizens, arbitrarily exercising violence against peaceful citizens asserting their rightful sovereignty, can never be tolerated.

Even for the sake of ensuring that the hard work and dedication of the police do not fade, any violence must be refrained from. In the court of history, darkness can never overcome light, and unjust violence hidden behind a mask can never block the majestic flow of transparent and just rule of law.

The government and police leadership must investigate the truth of the violent incidents involving unidentified private security personnel and Chinese nationals, which are suspected by many, take the historical warning seriously, and embark on stringent reforms.

◆ Commissioner Park Pil-gyu

Editor, Hankook Ilbo

40th graduating class, Korea Military Academy